With so many stories of bullying and combative incidents from kids and distraught parents, it is clear bullying is still widely prevalent in our communities today. Research shows that bullying peaks in the 5th, 6th and 7th grades, but can come about at virtually any time. Our goal is to minimize the effects of this negative behavior in grade school and middle school-aged children.

We feel strongly that no other group is better positioned to consult and educate about bully prevention than professional martial arts instruction. The mere act of training in the martial arts and having children develop a higher level of confidence, decreases their chances of being bullied in the first place. This confidence is visible by their stance, overall body language and their ability to look someone in the eye. Collectively, it sends the message to a bully, "Don't mess with me." Additionally, they learn to use their voice in a powerful way which lets a bully know 'they mean it.' These non-violent defensive strategies help kids from becoming targets of bullying or victims of other predatory behavior.

As we observe National Bullying Prevention month, Kovar’s academies will be teaching curriculum that will include role playing, small group discussions, and empathy training in an effort to educate, inform, and help eradicate bullying. We will also address how damaging bullying can be, so that kids will be less inclined to bully others as well. Our goal is to arm students with effective strategies and actions that they can use to come to the aid of others being bullied.

I created MAAB, MARTIAL ARTISTS AGAINST BULLYING an international association of over 1,000 martial arts schools from around the world dedicated to Bully Prevention. Collectively, this has enabled Kovar’s Satori Academy and other martial arts academies to reach as many kids in the world as possible to address the issue of Bullying.

As a free community service Kovar's is offering free Bully Prevention workshops for any school, sports association, team, boys and girls clubs, or church group, etc. Please call to schedule a free workshop for your group or pass this offer on to a group you think would benefit from it. To schedule go to Kovars.com/DoneWithBullying.com or call 800-645-3676.

If you or someone you know needs help stopping the cycle of Bullying please speak with one of our instructors or go to Kovars.com/DoneWithBullying for more information.

We are tirelessly committed to this cause and pledge to stand strong against bullying. We hope you will stand with us.